THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India — The first group of 470 pilgrims under the care of the Kerala Haj Committee left Calicut International Airport yesterday for Madinah. Air-India will fly 19 services until Dec. 9 to carry 8,230 pilgrims from Kerala, Lakshadweep and Mahe from the northern airport. There are 6,868 applicants on the waiting list. Air-India Manager Sunil Deshmukh said all arrangements were in place for the Haj flights. The airline would provide food to Hajis at the temporary Haj camp set up near the airport at Karipur. Chief district administrator K.S. Premachandra Kurup, who is the executive officer for Haj operations, said a polio vaccination facility was arranged at the Haj camp. State Haj Committee Chairman A.K. Abdul Hameed said Centurion Bank has opened its counter at the camp for foreign exchange needs.

Emigration Clearance Not Required

India’s External Affairs Ministry has brought all those who have passed Class X exams and those aged 18 years and above under the Emigration Clearance Not Required (ECNR) category for issuing passports. Regional Passport Officer R.C. Nair said those who have passed the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) exam can get their passports endorsed by the ECNR at the regional passport offices, including the four in Kerala (Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Malappuram and Kozhikode). In order to get an ECNR, form 2 with a copy of certificate of the school final or above need to be submitted. Online registration facility is also available at passtvm.kar.nic.in and passport.gov.in.

Mullapperiyar Calm

A day after the Mullaperiyar dam issue between Tamil Nadu and Kerala reached a flash point with chief ministers of the neighboring states hurling charges against each other, the two appeared to be heading for a negotiated settlement thanks to the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Traffic between the two states, which remained disrupted since Wednesday following road blockades, was restored. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation, which had suspended its inter-state services to Tamil Nadu following the road blockade, has also resumed its services. Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and his Tamil Nadu counterpart, M. Karunanidhi, are scheduled to meet in New Delhi on Wednesday under the mediation of Water Resources Minister Saifudheen Soz.

Doha Bank’s Kerala Fund

Doha Bank’s Kerala fund, the mutual fund being launched as a special vehicle for non-resident Indians, especially Keralites, to pool resources for investment in Kerala projects in tandem with the 50th anniversary celebrations of the state’s formation, is likely to be launched in February, subject to statutory clearance. Ved Prakash Chaturvedi, managing director of Tata Asset Management, said the size of the fund would be around 10 billion rupees. R. Seetharaman, deputy chief executive officer of Doha Bank, said about 50 percent of the fund would be invested in projects identified in Kerala.

Cola Giants Get Another Shock

The state authorities have filed a new case against Coca-Cola and Pepsi alleging that cola samples contain traces of pesticide. Defendants include board members of the PepsiCo India Limited because the company had not posted a nominee as is required to oversee matters concerning food adulteration. Mohammed Rafi, chief food inspector attached to the mobile vigilance squad of the state Directorate of Health Services, said the case had been filed on the basis of tests conducted on cola samples before the state imposed a ban on the manufacture and sale of colas in the state. The Left Democratic Front government in Kerala imposed a ban on colas in August but the high court quashed it a month later.